Chapter 14 - Concentration

"It's just as I thought. The boy was the one who killed those 39 bears. There's no mistaking it. However, all I need to know is how. There's strong evidence to suggest that he used a secret art however, there's no definite way to know since he doesn't remember anything which happened in the forest. The only way to find out what he had done would be for him to repeat it again. However, I haven't heard of anyone using a secret art such as that one... what is this boy hiding?" Jun asked himself once he heard what level Julius was.

"Master Jun, why does my meditating cultivation say rank while the fighting one says level?" Julius asked a fair question.

"It's just so you can tell which one is which. There's almost no difference between the two other than there are 100 levels while there are only 20 ranks. Although there are 5 times more levels compared to ranks, it's not any easier to reach rank 20 compared to level 100," Jun explained.

"Well, thank you for all you've done for me. I'm beyond exhausted right now so I'll be going to sleep now," said Julius.

"Hey now, don't forget what I said you would do once nightfall came. You won't be getting sleep any time soon," Jun said as he reminded his student that he still had to master cultivation through meditating while he was sleeping.

Julius let out a sigh as he remembered that his master had even warned him that he might not be able to get any sleep for a couple of days since it would take him several tries to find the perfect balance.

"Okay fine," said Julius in an exhausted tone.

"What do I need to do?" Julius asked.

"Well, you can start by laying back down then closing your eyes," said Jun as he instructed his student while Julius followed the instructions given to him.

"Good, now just continue to breathe until your body starts to feel lighter but not sleepy. It shouldn't feel like you're going to sleep but feel like you're breathing in a sunny and beautiful garden. If you feel like sleeping at all, get back up as quickly as possible. Of course you might start to go to sleep while meditating so I'll be beside you to make sure that you don't accidentally go to sleep," Jun reassured the prince.

"But how will you know the difference between those two?" Julius asked his master.

"It's not as hard as you might think it is. Whenever someone is cultivating through this method, they have a calming aura around them. So if that aura disappears, I'll know that you've gone to sleep and I'll wake you up to try one again," said Jun.

"Now listen, the last time you did this, I was the one who sent you into a state of cultivation so this time, I'll teach you how to do it on your own. First, begin to breathe as I taught you before, make sure you don't rush when you inhale or exhale. Next, clear your mind of all thoughts. Think of everything that worries you as insignificant and only focus on relaxing your entire body. Nothing should matter to you while you're cultivating," Jun told Julius.

However, it was easier said than done. Was it even possible for someone to clear their mind of all thoughts for as long as they wanted? At some point, they would worry about something or someone and in turn break concentration. Even for a genius like Julius, it was a difficult task. Even so, the prince tried his best to put himself in that state so that he could grow into a great person.

After nearly half an hour and when Julius began to give up, he forgot about everything in his mind on his own. All thought in his mind was completely erased. He no longer thought of anything let alone care for them. Julius was finally free.

Seeing the aura form around Julius, Jun smiled as he was overjoyed that his student could force himself into the cultivating state without assistance.

"Now we wait as Julius faces the real challenge of cultivation," Jun thought to himself. In that same moment, Julius woke up with a gasp.

...

"Well, at least you managed to get into the state on your own. Your real battle starts once you're inside it as you try to maintain your clear mind," said Jun.

"I understand. Don't worry master, I'll keep practicing until I can get it right. I'll definitely learn how to cultivate on my own!" Julius insisted as he laid back on the futon as he prepared to go into that state of mind once again. The second time, it was easy for Julius to get into the state of cultivation however, he quickly went to sleep which caused his master to wake him up by force.

After apologizing to his master, Julius tried again and again. Each time either breaking concentration or sleeping on accident. However, no matter how many times he failed, Julius would try again. He was more resilient than most adults in that world. For some reason, there was something pushing him to strive to get the best the world had to offer. Even though he himself didn't know what it was, Julius listened to his gut and persisted in trying to master cultivating in his sleep.

The only difference between just sleeping and cultivating while sleeping was that both offered the ability to sleep but one of them would allow Julius to cultivate SP (spiritual point) while also sleeping. While neither Jun nor Julius knew if it was even possible to accomplish such an act, they wanted to try.

Just as the sun began to rise and Julius prepared to try once again, Jun started to lose hope.

"You know Julius, it might not even be possible do this," said Jun but was ignored by Julius who managed to instantly tap into the state of cultivation. This time however, he neither broke concentration nor did he go to sleep. Nevertheless, he had one thought in his mind which didn't disrupt his thoughts.

"Liz...."